A Harsh Lineage
by Butterfly Obi
Summary: Spoilers for the main game a bit of The Golden Country. Set several years post Xenoblade Chronicles 2. History has not been kind to the Ardanach line, as Niall finally reveals to Elanna after their marriage.


Notes: I will warn, **spoilers for both the main game and Torna: The Golden Country.** Also, this takes place after the events of the main story, with my own headcanon thrown in on the "after the happy ending." I also cannot resist dropping a hint or two towards Morag and Zeke being together. I have had a few ideas for a longer story of them after saving the world. I'd like to do that one day. This is more of a stand-alone piece, focused more on the Mor Aradian royal family.

I love Mor Ardain, and Morag and Niall, as well as Hugo. But history has not exactly been kind to the Ardanachs. I noticed a lot of foreshadowing in TGC, and wanted to prepare myself for it, but stumbled right across something I did not wish to see. In a way, it inspired the idea. In another, well, I'm sitting here trying not to tear up thinking about it! Ugh, Xenoblade is so good about ripping your heart out!

* * *

Night had fallen hours ago, but for Niall Ardanach, it did not mean it was time to retire. Though a new world had been established years ago, thanks to the actions of a young salvager and his crew, which had included Niall's cousin, Morag Ladair, this new world, their own Elysium, still needed law and order, and those who could guide the people. Niall had been the Emperor of Mor Ardain from such a young age that ruling was something he knew, and so he had kept his position in the world at the cost of a normal life. Even with a new world, and every Titan joining the new landmass so no country was separate, his place in life had changed very little.

It was not all bad, of course. With the heads of their respective countries joining together in a united governing force, he was not always engulfed with work and duties. As he had grown, he had met a young woman named Elanna, fallen in love, and gotten married. His life now even allowed him time to spend with her without fear that some issue would arise, calling him away. He had even grown closer to Morag. They were all each other had not so long ago, cousins who grew up together as close as siblings. Their small talk still needed a bit of work, but they had all the time in the world to work on it.

It was well after midnight when Niall was finally able to drag himself to his chambers. His mind was buzzing, but it was not the arguments on treasure thieves that bothered him. During the chaos of the artifice attacks on the country, some people were doing as they were wont to do: loot and pillage in the chaos. Gutsy thieves had even looted treasuries of the royal families. Years later, each kingdom was still missing pieces. There were rewards offered for the return of treasures, and that sometimes enticed the thieves themselves to bring up the goods.

For hours, a scruffy-looking man and Niall had quarreled. He had returned an old circlet belonging to a past Mor Ardainian emperor, but he had been fast to admit he had stolen it in the first place. That negated any reward the man would have received; the only thing he would be given was jail time. He had fought and argued, even lunged at Niall at one point, with Aegaeon jumping between Niall and the man. He had been eventually dragged out of the room by Morag and Zeke von Genbu, a former Tantalese prince who had given up his title to stay in Mor Ardain. He had claimed he enjoyed the job of rounding up thieves and criminals, and that his thirst for adventure could not be satisfied elsewhere, but Niall, his wife, and most everyone else knew the main reason he stayed in Mor Ardain was Morag.

In his years as emperor, he had had numerous threats against him. It happened. The thief did not bother him at all. It was, in part, seeing an old piece of Mor Ardainian history that upset him so. His mind had occasionally strayed to the thought since he had met Elanna. History had not been kind to the Ardanachs. What had he gotten her into?

That was what he thought of as he sank down on a plush couch in the sitting area of his chambers. Aegaeon had not spoken until they were alone, locked away in the safety of Niall's private quarters. "Are you all right, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Niall answered. He did not _look_ fine. He was clearly tired and deeply preoccupied. "You may go to bed, Aegaeon."

The Blade looked as though he wanted to refuse, but he nodded, bade Niall good night, and retreated to his room down the hall. Niall waited until he heard the door shut to exhale, unaware that he had been holding his breath.

Niall sank back on the couch and thought of his own history. He had bonded with Aegaeon a long time ago. Aegaeon had been passed down his family's line for generations, along with Brighid, a fire Blade that Morag had bonded with many years before. Aegaeon had been his shield and adviser, until an incident involving a money hungry Nopon had nearly cost Niall his life. It _had,_ in truth. Aegaeon had returned to his core crystal, but the assistance of a powerful healing blade had saved Niall. He had given the crystal to Morag, feeling unfit to wield Aegaeon's strength.

As he grew older, Morag had come to him one night, a small box in hand. She had returned Aegaeon, unable to bring herself to bond with him. "You may never have need of him in battle," she had said that night, "but I know how greatly you valued his counsel."

It was unheard of, bonding with a blade not once, but twice. After his reawakening, Aegaeon rarely left Niall's side, until his engagement. In his desire to protect Elanna, he would occasionally send Aegaeon out with her. She did not seem to mind the protection, nor did she mind that Niall wanted her safe.

A faint smile played at Niall's lips for a second. Elanna sometimes seemed more comfortable around Aegaeon than she did Morag. It was _Morag_ who had intimidated her for the longest time. Now, the two women were as close as sisters.

The sound of a door opening shook him from his thoughts. At first, he thought Aegaeon had returned, unable to leave Niall in a distressed state, but the footsteps that came down the hall were much too soft to belong to Aegaeon. Niall sat up as he heard Elanna call for him.

"Niall? Is that you?'

He sat up as she stuck her head around the corner, her long black hair falling in her face. "Elanna," he said softly. He was pleased to see her, but she should be in bed, as he reminded her.

"I thought I heard you and Aegaeon." She had thrown a robe over her pajamas, his robe to be exact. She swept a lock of black hair from her face, then admitted she could not sleep. She stepped into the sitting area, walked behind the couch, and leaned down to wrap her arms around Niall.

He reached behind him and rested a hand against her hair. She kissed the side of his neck and shut her eyes with a sigh.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better." Her voice was muffled. "But how are you? You seem so preoccupied as of late." She lifted her head and stood, her hands sliding up to his shoulders. "I know it's not just treasure hunters on your mind." She had gone to bed shortly after the thief with a change of heart had been escorted to Niall's throne room. "This has been going on before that, hasn't it?"

Niall looked down and nodded. A sudden urge seized him and he stood. "Come with me, " he said, taking her hand as he stepped behind the couch to join her. "There's something I need to show you."

"Show me?" she asked as they slipped to the door. Niall shot a quick look towards Aegaeon's room before they departed. If he heard them leaving, he would want to accompany them, but this was something he needed to do by himself, just the two of them.

As they walked down the corridor, with Niall saying a silent prayer that they would cross no one's path, Elanna stayed close, her fingers laced with his. The couple was silent; the only sound other than their footsteps was the faint drag of fabric from the hem of Niall's robe dragging the floor.

Niall led her to a room that housed records of the Mor Ardainian royal family. Elanna was confused as to why he would bring her there, so late at night. She stepped inside as he closed the door behind them. "I'm sorry," he began as soon as the door clicked shut, "this is something I should have brought to your attention earlier. I did debate on doing this many times, especially during our engagement."

Elanna crossed her arms over her chest and hugged herself as she watched Niall skim the shelves of the bookcases before them. She glanced around the room as she waited on Niall, her curiosity getting the best of her. Other than a desk and chair, there was little in the ways of seating. Three small, round tables were spread across the room, each tabletop bare. The only light was coming from the moon outside the window, though a lamp sat on the desk as well. She crossed the room to the lamp and switched it on.

Niall found what he was looking for, a large, heavy book. He carried it over to the desk and opened it. The two of them leaned over it as he began to thumb through the pages.

"Niall, you don't have to do this if it troubles you." She put her hand on his arm comfortingly, He stopped looking through the pages listing details on his ancestors long enough to smile at her.

"But I do." He shut his eyes for a moment to collect himself. The turning pages ceased as he stopped momentarily. "I think you may disagree with me, but it should have been done earlier. History has not been kind to the Ardanach line." He began to turn the pages again, slowly this time. "Many of my ancestors died young, and it was not always due to more reasonable occurrences, such as war or sickness."

"Niall..." she began, her expression changing from confusion to hurt at sensing his own pain. He shook his head and turned the page.

As he slowly turned page after page, he allowed her quick glances at sketches or pictures as he detailed what happened. "Assassinated at the age of fourteen," he said of one. "I believe he never even reached his coronation ceremony." He turned to another. "Killed in battle." Another after that one also fell during battle.

"Fell ill and quickly passed," he said of another. "Some think it was poison, but no one ever really knew."

He paused at another page. It depicted three brothers, each standing at attention. The one in the center looked a bit like Niall, though the circlet he wore was different. Their attire also showed how long ago it had been. He tapped his finger at the one in the middle. "He was crowned emperor at the age of nineteen. As he took the title, he was given Aegaeon and Brighid's core crystals. The middle brother," he pointed at the boy on the left of the family portrait, "was infuriated. He thought it unfair that his brother received both of the blades of our family. He wanted one, but the new emperor refused. Except in rare occasions, both blades were wielded by the emperor himself."

Elanna knew where the story was heading. "Oh, Niall, don't tell me - ?"

Niall nodded. "The middle brother killed the oldest to claim Aegaeon and Brighid for himself. He was swiftly jailed for both fratricide and regicide, with the title bypassing him, of course, and going to the youngest brother. The populace called for his execution, but the youngest brother could not bring himself to do it. He had lost one brother; he could not lose another."

He paused for a moment, his hand resting on the page with the portrait of the three brothers. "Even with such a grim lineage, this always struck me as the darkest occurrence that ever befell my family."

Elanna took his hand and gave it a gentle tug. "Come on," she said softly. "It's getting late. Let's go back to bed."

"Wait." He began to thumb ahead several pages, then he stopped and went back. He lingered on one page for a moment and murmured, "I even lost family during the Aegis War."

" _Bed,"_ Elanna insisted. She pulled at his hand again, this time more firmly.

"One more." He turned a few more pages, then settled on one that had the portrait of a young man on the left and a woman on the right. Niall's focus was not on the male side of the page. He handed the book to Elanna. "More than once, it has been those who married into the family that met certain tragedy. She was betrothed to one brother, a marriage alliance from a high ranking house in Mor Ardain. She loved him, and he loved her. For a marriage alliance, things were pretty happy between them."

Elanna studied the sketch of the young woman. Her head was slightly turned to the side, her eyes shut. At first glance, it appeared haughty, but a second look revealed how sorrowful she appeared. "Is that a blade behind her?" Over her shoulder and somewhat in the background, one could make out a humanoid form with what appeared to be a floral theme.

"Yes, her core crystal is deep within our vault. She has not been awakened in a long time."

"Why?"

"It goes back to what happened to her driver." Niall's voice grew heavy. "Her betrothed was killed, so the alliance shifted to his heir, his younger brother. She was distraught at the loss of her beloved but married out of duty. Her new husband felt perhaps their loss would bring them closer, but he was wrong. She became a cold and distant woman, and by all reports only joined him once a week in his bedchambers out of duty."

Elanna looked up from the black and white picture of the driver and blade. "They did nothing together, not even share a bed?"

Niall shook his head. "She had her own room. She only went to him because it was her place as empress to give him heirs. She did, a son and two daughters. She was quite distant with them as well. Her blade became a companion for them, a playmate and mother figure when they needed her. When their mother passed, they could not bring themselves to reawaken her blade. Their pages are slightly further on in the book, but all said they could not take someone they loved as family and reawaken her as someone who did not know them."

Elanna firmly closed the book and returned it to the desk then took Niall's hands in hers. "Is that was has you so worried as of late? That I'm not happy? I can assure you, I'm the happiest I've ever been."

A small chuckle escaped Niall's lips as he briefly squeezed her hands. "I _have_ been a little worried about that," he admitted. He then released her hands and pulled her closer. "What's been troubling me as of late..." he trailed off as he lowered his right hand to her stomach.

Elanna smiled reassuringly as she looked up at him. "This little one and I are not going anywhere. You're stuck with us. But what of you, hmm? You don't plan on anything happening to you anytime soon?"

Niall shut his eyes as he briefly remembered awakening from nothingness to being healed by a blade as she brought him back. He had never told Elanna. He could never bring himself to do it. Even Morag did not know the full truth. "As long as it is within my power, I'm not leaving you."

"That's all I ask." Elanna glanced back to the record book on the desk. She was curious, of course, but she had never pried into the Ardanach records. "Could I take that with me?"

Niall, too, turned his attention to the book. On the outside, it was just that. On the inside, it was full of painful snippets of his family's life. "I'd rather you not read it without me." He would want to be there for her in case anything upset her, and maybe looking through it with her would not be as harsh on him as well.

"I understand. Are you feeling any better, getting all of this out?"

"A bit, yes," Niall answered honestly. He was not certain if he could ever fully at ease about what happened in his family's past, not even with a new world and a new chance for everyone, not just the Ardanachs. But it did feel wonderful to relieve himself of a bit of the burden his name seemed to bring. He pulled his gaze away from the book and told her he felt ready to go to bed.

He allowed her to lead the way back to their chambers, thankfully meeting no one except Zeke, who swore he did not see them out of bed if they did not see him. Niall and Elanna agreed that they had not seen him at all.

Neither of them spoke, except to assure Zeke that they saw no one, again that night. Once safe behind the locked doors of their own bedchambers, Elanna kissed Niall's cheek and retreated to bed. He was quick to follow her and the two fell asleep together. Elanna curled up next to Niall with her head on his chest. For Niall, sleep came easily and undisturbed by nightmares. Whether he should have told Elanna about his family's history before that night or not no longer mattered. She knew, and he was able to sleep easier because of it.


End file.
